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Book Review: Midnight Curse (Disrupted Magic) by Melissa F. Olson

Midnight Curse is the first book in the Disrupted Magic series by Melissa F. Olson, which is a follow up to the Scarlet Bernard book, so you could think of it as the fourth book in that series if you would like. It also has some characters from the Boundary Magic series. I think I would recommend reading the other series first, before jumping in here. Since I adore the books, I think it would be a pleasure rather than a task. However, if you want to just dive in, there is enough groundwork and explanation in the book that I think newcomers could catch up quickly.

Scarlett Bernard is used to cleaning up messes. As a human who cancels out any magic around her, Scarlett’s job is to keep the supernatural world hidden—at any cost. But on the eve of the Vampire Trials, a two-day tribunal that allows the otherworldly community to air their grievances, Scarlett receives a blood-soaked message from Molly, her estranged former roommate. Molly, a vampire, had been living with twelve human college students…and in one terrible night, she slaughtered them all. Scarlett believes Molly’s been set up, but no one else in the Old World agrees with her. Meanwhile, the true perpetrator is determined to make sure Molly goes on trial for the massacre—and the penalty is death. With less than two days to prove her friend’s innocence, Scarlett calls on former LAPD detective Jesse Cruz to help her dig into Molly’s past. But no one—Molly included—wants Scarlett and Jesse to bring the terrible truth to light.

Midnight Curse is exactly what fans of Olson are looking for. The first chapter was spent playing catch up and remembering what I had read already, but I think that is the case for more series or related books with good backstories. I think there is a good amount of information so that newer readers to the world will catch up, but I still recommend reading the books in order to get a fuller understanding of the larger relationships and politics involved. I really enjoyed the growth that Scarlet shows, and the realistic personal and interpersonal reactions and feelings. I thought the danger and mystery were well done and pretty perfectly paced. I liked that not everything, and everyone, was perfectly good or bad- but that Olson continued to show how most everyone comes in shades of grey.

I was glad to see Molly back into Scarlet's life- although not in the way anyone was really hoping for. I also like that the book wrapped up the mystery and struggle of the particular story while still leaving plenty of open avenues for future books that will not be a reach or stretch. I was glad to see Jesse back as well, and think this is going to be a great series with the majority of my favorite characters. A must read for fans, and good motivation for urban fantasy fans that have yet to read her work to start from the beginning and become a fan.

Midnight Curse is another great book from Olson. I was disappointed that I took this long to get around to reading this book, but so glad I did. To those that like audiobooks, I highly recommend listening to the series. I binge listened to ALL the previous books from Olson via my library overdrive offerings and Audible. The reader is wonderful, and actually reading this book rather than listening, I still heard the narrator I was used to in my read as I read.